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#(still gotta draw something for SUPER POSITIVE MAN too whoops)
egophiliac · 2 months
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kamen rider shion was just revealed for ride kamens, and he looks like he's themed after the... horse orphnoch? this is an even bigger surprise than the jin and woz homages
trying to speculate on Ride Kamens characters pre-reveal really is like
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fandomlurker · 3 years
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A Ponderous Rewatch: Jockey For Position
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Now that we’re done with that long cameo, it’s time for our feature presentation for tonight, and it’s a doozy!:
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We open with Pinky frantically running on a spinning globe while Brain stands above him on the…globe holder? I don’t know if that part has a name or not.
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“[winded gasps] Can I stop now, Brain?”
“Not until I finish my demonstration.”
Brain, that’s just… Well I was about to say it was mean, but given that Pinky understands the details of his plans better when Brain demonstrates it or draws elaborate diagrams, maybe it’s for the best? I doubt Brain could make that large globe spin just by using his hands, and Pinky’s been seen a lot of times running on the mouse wheel in their cage so he’s gotta be pretty in shape. Still, it feels like Pinky’s been running for a lot longer than he needed to…
You know what? I change my mind. It is a bit mean, Brain.
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“When I build my reverse geotropic arrestor, Pinky, and throw it from the North Pole like this…”
The word “geotropic” doesn’t quite sound right. I wonder…
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…Okay, yeah, Brain’s getting worse at naming things.
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“…In a matter of seconds the cable will become taut, gravity will cease, and everyone will fly off the face of the Earth!”
Oh my GOD, Brain. This has got to be the stupidest plan you have come up with yet! Nothing about this will work.
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Well, there goes poor Pinky.
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“Leaving us alone to assume control.”
It’s still “us”, huh? Noted.
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Long Pinky.
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“Egad, Brain, brilliant! Haha hehe heh—!”
Pinky, sweetheart, I know praising Brain is kind of your thing but this is one time I’m going to have to call you out on your bias because this is super not brilliant and I’m actually a little worried for Brain’s mental state.
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“—Oh wait, no, no. What’s going to keep us from flying off the Earth?”
That’s one flaw of many, Pinky, but I guess it’s as good a start as any.
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“We will duct tape ourselves to a tree.”
Because the tree will totally stay in the ground when the Earth abruptly stops spinning. Not that it will stop spinning, because none of this makes any sense.
Brain, did this idea come from, like, a dream you had or something? Is that why the plan is working on dream logic?
I know this is a comedy cartoon and this is all a joke but sometimes Brain’s plans are so fucking out-there I just have to roast him for it.
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“Unfortunately we still need to raise money to buy a one billion ton magnet. But I have a solution!”
Oh boy, can’t wait to hear the solution to this one. It’s gonna be stellar if the whole plan today is anything to go by.
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Oh nice, Brain’s the one sewing for a change! Usually this is Pinky’s area of expertise, but it’s always nice to see that Brain can do some classically domestic things too.
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“Tomorrow is the running of the Kentucky Derby. Do you know what that is?”
Most of my knowledge on it comes from “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” goofs, so my mind keeps autocorrecting it to “Kenfucky Derby”, but go on.
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“Umm… Oh! A very large hat?”
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“Promise me something, Pinky. Never breed.”
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“I’ll try.”
Well, that’s going to come back to haunt them.
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“The Kentucky Derby is the biggest horse race of the year. There’s a one million dollar purse going to the jockey riding the winning horse.”
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“And I am going to win that purse!”
Okay, first off: Pinky, are you just going to stand there and stare at Brain as he gets changed? Like, I understand they’re naked normally and this is the exact opposite of stripping but umm…
Secondly: Brain, did you really have to get that up close to tell Pinky this? You two are making this too easy for me.
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“Zort, Brain! A million dollar purse?!? Ooooh!~ You’re going to need matching pumps and earrings for that!”
Pinky’s got his priorities in order.
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“Focus, Pinky, focus!”
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“Now watch.”
And now Brain’s ordering Pinky to watch him dress and I just…I have no words. This is all so suspect. Why do you two even need a dressing screen if you’re usually naked anyway? And it shouldn’t matter if anyone sees you get dressed unless this is some weird reverse nudity taboo you two have developed and if that’s the case, why are you allowing Pinky to watch? And if it’s for a dramatic reveal WHY ARE YOU ORDERING HIM TO WATCH YOU CHANGE???
This episode is already so goddamn wild.
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I am really not sure how I feel about that pan-up of Brain when he’s thrust his pelvis forward. At least the outfit is cute, though.
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“Narf! Oh, Brain, I get it! You’re a beautiful lawn ornament!”
“Beautiful”, huh? Also noted.
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“Look at me, narf, I’m a pink flamingo! Ahahaheh!”
Oh LORD, Pinky, how are you—?!?
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“I’m a cement deer! Ah hah!”
PINKY, STOP, YOU’RE SCARING ME! D:
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“Oh, I’m one of the seven dwarves, Brain!”
That’s more acceptable but Pinky, sweetie, warn me if you’re going to nightmarishly shapeshift again, okay?!
I guess we can add that to the list of random abilities Pinky has.
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“Stop it, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you.”
You are much calmer about this than I would be if this happened in front of me, Brain.
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“Oh. Right-o, Brain. Narf.”
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“Now let us make haste, for we have much to do before the race begins.”
“Poit.”
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So then we cut to Churchill Downs, and I can only assume another roadtrip adventure was had off-screen.
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“First, Pinky, we must visit the stables.”
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“Inside, we will find the winning horse.”
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“Err… How are we gonna do that, Brain?”
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“The racing form, Pinky.”
My bet’s on... [squints] hLUUNO the horse.
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“By analysing the velocity-based pace line, mile turf win and bayer speed figures, we’ll find a grade one stakes claimer who’ll give us a key horse situation.”
“Key Horse Situation” would be a great band name. Also, whoops, little bit of an error on the name plaques, background artists.
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What do your mouse eyes see, Pinky?
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“Err, can’t we just ride the pretty one?”
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SHE!
So here she is, one of the few characters debuting in the Animaniacs run that will matter to PatB lore going forward aside from our main duo.
A fun fact for you all: Phar Fignewton’s name is a triple reference joke. “Phar Lap” was a champion thoroughbred race horse in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Fig Newtons are small pastries filled with fig paste. Lastly, “Fahrvergnügen” was a slogan for Volkswagon starting in 1990. Translated, it means “driving enjoyment”.
Phar Fignewton makes a whinnying noise and ends it off with a goofy laugh.
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Brain is not impressed.
“Heavens, they’re multiplying…”
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Pinky is instantly smitten with her.
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BONK!
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“This is a business trip, Pinky!”
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“Oh. Right. Sorry, Brain.”
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“Here is our horse.”
“’Daddy’s Little Angel’…”
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I guess it’s an ironic nickname.
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“Pinky… Are you pondering what I’m pondering?”
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“Whu… I think so, Brain, isn’t Regis Philbin already married?”
Now I’m wondering if Pinky is suggesting that one of them marry Regis or if he’s suggesting that Regis marries the horse. Either way, what the fuck?
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Yeah, same.
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“The race, Pinky. By combining the statistics and my low body weight, this horse cannot lose! The prize money will be ours!”
GAH! Brain, I’ve had enough minor heart attacks from this episode because of Pinky’s eldritch morphing ability, I don’t need another one of your bizarre close-ups to do the same!
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“Now I must take the place of the real jockey.”
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“Hello?”
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“Is this the Jockey who’s going to ride ‘Daddy’s Little Angel’?”
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“Yeah.”
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“This is Ed Mcmahon from Publisher’s Smearing House. You’ve just won ten million dollars.”
Pinky delightedly and silently listening in and chuckling in the back is precious.
And honestly, Brain, I don’t know why you’re crouching here, but it’s also cute.
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“I won ten million dollars… I WON TEN MILLION DOLLARS! I am outta here! Later!”
The mice are lucky that he’s so excited about winning all that money that he forgets to do basic things like ask when and how he’ll get the money.
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“Louie! Louie!”
“Later!”
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“Who’s gonna ride my horse? I mean, Louie is the smallest, lightest jockey in the entire world!”
Did you know that there’s a weight requirement for jockeys, but no height requirement?
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“Not anymore!”
“[GASP]”
Whoops, I just noticed another error, though it’s minor: Brain’s jockey outfit throughout this scene is light tan and purple instead of the pea green and purple that it’s supposed to be.
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“You’re a jockey?!”
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“Actually, I am a mouse in the early stages of an elaborate scheme to take over the world.”
The more this happens, the more I’m starting to think that Brain does this shtick on purpose to emotionally and mentally disarm people who would otherwise suspect that he’s not human. The fact that it works shows you just how idiotic the human beings of this world are.
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“Well, fine, we all need a hobby but…will you ride my horse?”
Oh, sir, I think it’s much more than a hobby at this point. If only you knew…
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“I shall ride! And win!”
His design is a little odd here, but it’s still a good pose.
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So Brain next has to be weighed to make sure he meets the requirements.
“Saddle: Seven pounds. Saddle and rider: Seven pounds 3 ounces.”
So if you can recall from the previous rewatch post, a house mouse on average weighs 19g, and a common wood mouse weighs 23g (it can be up for debate which type of mouse Brain is).  Converting Brain’s 3 ounces of weight to grams would result in him weighing 85.0486g.
Brain does have a bit of a cute little potbelly thing going on, but he’s also consistently much smaller in height and width than the average adult mouse in the series. I think the incredible difference in weight is mostly coming from the heft of Brain’s, well, brain and skull…and the muscle mass packed into that tiny body to help keep him upright.
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“A genetically perfect jockey! This is fantastic!”
Please don’t phrase it like that.
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“…Let’s look into early retirement.”
That jockey on the left is going through some shit, man. He looks like how I feel after working an eight hour shift on the holidays.
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And so we skip to the beginning of the race!
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That poor, poor jockey…who changed colour schemes for some reason.
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There’s Phar Fignewton with a jockey who honestly looks like he’s high.
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And here’s our little mousey fella, who has somehow managed to make this aggressive horse obedient.
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“Camptown race is five miles long, do-dah, do-dah.~”
He’s so happy he’s singing to himself! This is honestly so precious that I completely forgive him for not getting the lyrics correct.
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Coincidentally, Daddy’s Little Angel is positioned next to Phar Fignewton.
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“Ooh, isn’t this exciting, Brain?”
Uh oh.
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“Pinky, what are you doing here? Your weight will disrupt my winning calculations!”
I don’t know if it’d be that off, Brain. The combined weight of two mice is still much less than that of a human jockey.
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“But Brain, it’s too exciting! I—“
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[TARGET LOCKED]
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“Oooh! Heh. Hello.~”
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I think I’m going to save my thoughts on this whole…thing until the end. Right now I will say, however, that I wasn’t quite expecting the tongue-hanging-out-of-gaping-mouth lovestruck/horny??? reaction.
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“Pinky, the race is starting!”
Too late, Brain.
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And we’re off!
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Bye, Pinky.
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“There’s baloney in our slacks…~”
Pfft.
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So as the race goes on, we get to know a few more of the horses’ names: Isle of Yap (a nice callback to the first PatB short), Flamiel (which is apparently the WB writers’ favourite word?), and Leggo-my-Egoiste (a double reference to an old Eggo slogan and the name of a cologne).
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The other jockeys are more than a little surprised by Brain and his steed taking the lead early in the race.
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Phar Fignewton is trailing way behind.
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Meanwhile, Pinky’s woken up from fainting, seeing the oncoming horses—
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--and promptly freaks out and stumbles back down again.
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“Victory, she waits for me! Oh, the do-dah-day!”
You really have to stop tempting fate like this, Brain.
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Phar Fignewton’s very tired, but what’s this?
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Is that…Pinky in harm’s way?
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ThePowerOfLove.mp3
Determined and fueled by her inexplicable crush, Phar Fignewton starts gaining ground on the other horses.
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Brain didn’t calculate for this!
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…Oh! Hi, Warners! Looks like they’re cheering Phar on.
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“Oh no! Yah! Yah! Yah!”
I didn’t think whips were allowed in races like the Kentucky Derby, but apparently they are. Their use was only restricted—not banned—in the summer of 2020, which is alarming to say the least.
On a different note, I know some of you folks are now jotting down the fact that Brain knows how to use a whip. I see you.
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She makes the save!
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And she also wins the race! Way to go, Phar Fignewton!
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“In the words of the great Willie Shoemaker: ‘Nuts!’”
It was a good try, Brain, but honestly I’m glad you failed this time if only so that you wouldn’t embarrass yourself with your actual world domination plan’s failure later. Maybe take a couple nights off to rest up a bit and formulate plans that aren’t totally bonkers, hmm?
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I might as well go ahead and talk about this now. I…am conflicted on this whole Phar Fignewton thing. It makes for a very strange one-off joke about Pinky instantly falling in love with a distaff counterpart of his that’s a horse for whatever reason…but the fact that she’s not a one-off character is baffling in and of itself. Like I’ve said before, she’s mentioned a couple of times going forward as being Pinky’s girlfriend, or as a bizarre joke at Pinky’s expense about him being in/having been in a relationship with a horse. There’s even a small running gag about Pinky’s reaction to people’s disgust about it: “People can be so intolerant!”. I don’t know if the joke is supposed to be one about racial segregation or a wink and nod to queer folks in the only way that the writers could get away with in a cartoon at the time (in a “see, Pinky’s down for a relationship with anyone, even outside of his species!” type of way).
Phar Fignewton herself is a sweetie but besides that she has no personality to speak of and we’re just meant to assume based on physical appearance that she is equivalent to Pinky. And like, she hasn’t been uplifted to human levels of intelligence and sapience like Pinky has because of Acme Labs, but she seems to be naturally sapient for some unknown reason and just simply unable to speak English.
On top of all this, the relationship is very shallow and the only reason we’re given as to why Pinky likes her is because he finds her pretty. It’s perfectly in character for Pinky to easily fall in love, as he does so with other animals a couple more times in the spin-offs, but it just feels weird that this is the one that sticks around purely to become a running gag that gets mentions that are sometimes literal years apart from one another.
And listen, I know the writers most likely made this a thing just because they thought it was a funny joke and a few of them managed to remember about Phar and would use Pinky dating her as a gag. I know this. But it doesn’t make it any less confusing and weird. I remember the jokes about Pinky and horses from way back when I first watched Animaniacs and the PatB spin-off when I was a kid and I never had any context for it because I don’t think I ever saw this specific episode. Coming back as an adult and seeing all these episodes in order and watching this one in particular and finding out the context is “Pinky thinks a horse is pretty and the horse and him are in love and long-distance dating now” is both underwhelming and leaves me with more questions than answers.
…Also, if my earlier theories on why the writers made this joke are correct, does this mean Phar Fignewton is metatextually a beard for Pinky?
I just don’t know, folks. You’re welcome to leave your thoughts on this in comments.
Let’s wrap this up.
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So as we can see, Brain is, as usual, back to work on another plan that involves—
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—a goddamn cannon, holy shit! What is he using the glue for? That’s a little ominous, given what’s been involved in this episode.
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There’s a hammering noise in the background and we see Pinky putting up a photo of Phar Fignewton.
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“Pinky, will you please stop that? I’m trying to concentrate on tomorrow night!”
Wow, you’re more irritable than usual, Brain. I didn’t think some delicate hammering would annoy you that much.
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“Mwah!~”
…Despite my ramblings earlier, that’s very cute of you, Pinky. I’m sure you could’ve gotten a better photo, though.
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“Why, Brain, what’re we gonna do tomorrow night?”
Try to take over the world, of course! Right, Brain?
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“Guess.”
Umm, wow. That’s a first. You look like you’re absolutely enraged, Brain. All this over some hammering sounds?
This had me taken aback a bit when I watched it the first time, not gonna lie. We’ve seen Brain after a plan’s failure plenty of times before. He’s been frustrated, sure. Humiliated at times, or maybe he just sighs in resignation and walks off into the sunset. It always ends with him simply using these feelings to fuel the fire in him to do better tomorrow night.
This is the very first time we’ve seen him jumpy and irritated at the most minor of things and so angry that he literally refuses to participate normally in his and Pinky’s shared catchphrase. And this was for a plan that was just to fund the real plan! So why is this time any different?
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Oh.
OH.
Okay, that’s… That makes a lot of sense, actually. Damn.
Hey, fanfic writers? Ya’ll ever use this as the very first time Brain experiences romantic jealousy? Let me know.
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“Oh yeah, try to take over the world. Right.”
I think even Pinky’s put off by this development, if his hesitant and quiet finishing of the saying is anything to go by.
And that’s what we end off with.
All in all, this episode is a wild ride of strangeness in small moments and bizarre additions to lore and ends on the first subversion of the long-running closing gag of the series. It’s not exactly a great episode, but that ending is intriguing enough for one of the main purposes of this rewatch. In short, I’m just baffled.
Luckily the next episode is much better. Next time, the mice head on down to Tennessee to seek world domination via country music.
See you then!
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angelofthequeers · 5 years
Text
Ladybug and Reine Nuit: Chapter 3
Origins III
Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.
I didn’t think I needed to change much about the battle side of Origins because the important stuff is in the character interactions rather than the fighting, especially since this is only episode 1 and I have to set up the changes for the rest of the story. But I do try and deviate in later battles.
I’m also going to try posting this without the AO3 link just to test if external links are messing with my reach somehow.
Part 2 | Part 4
“The stone beings are scattered all over Paris, and for the time being, they are showing no signs of movement!” reports Nadja Chamack from the television. Marinette’s frozen in place, her heart in her throat, wondering if she’s got enough time to make it to the bathroom before she’s sick. “Police have cordoned off the area.”
The TV flicks to display the mayor, André Bourgeois. “We won’t stop until we find a way to get these people to their normal selves! But for now…we’re not making much headway.”
Then it’s back to Nadja, this time with a picture of Ladybug and Reine Nuit. “Paris is relying on our new guardian angels, Ladybug and Reine Nuit, to save us all. Our lives depend on them!”
Okay. That…doesn’t make Marinette feel much better about her complete and utter failure yesterday in not capturing the akuma, allowing it to multiply and infect more innocent people. She’d known she’d mess up, she’d just known it, she’d tried to warn Tikki…and the tiny kwami’s faith in her has proven to be their downfall. How can clumsy, awkward Marinette possibly be a superhero? Sure, Reine Nuit had messed up, but at least she seems to have the confidence to carry her. She’d been the one to jump in and get stuff done, after all.
Marinette jumps when a large arm lands around her shoulders, snapping her out of her thoughts, but it just turns out to be her father.
“Listen, I know how upsetting and scary this is,” Tom says, clearly having misinterpreted Marinette’s look of dread. “But don’t worry, sweetie; we’ve got two superheroes looking out for Paris, and the best way of helping them is to show them that we’re not scared, because we trust them!”
Ordinarily, Tom’s exaggerated fist-shaking would have made Marinette laugh; instead, she just looks down in shame.
“But what if Ladybug fails?” she mumbles.
“Then I’d come and save you!” Tom hefts a long baguette as a sword. “Super Baker to the rescue!”
Marinette giggles and leans up to kiss her father on the cheek. “Thanks, Super Dad!” she says before darting up to her bedroom to grab her purse. She pauses, looking at the vanity where she’s stored the earrings, and she takes the box out of the drawer, chews her lip, then nods and stashes the box in her purse.
She’s made her decision. She’s giving the earrings to Alya; the superhero enthusiast will do a much better job at being a hero than Marinette ever could. Tikki might be disappointed, but she’ll soon see that it’s for the best.
.
“Ladybug is just so cool!” Alya gushes to Marinette, who just stares down glumly as they turn into the school’s street. How Alya has this much faith in her, Marinette has no clue. But that faith should serve her well as the new Ladybug. “I saw her yesterday! I was so close to her! Uh…hiding! At the stadium!”
“That’s cool…” Marinette says, handing Alya back her phone. Alya doesn’t seem to notice her mood. “But why do you trust Ladybug so much? All these stone beings…and what about Reine Nuit?”
“Oh, of course I love Reine Nuit too.” Alya swells when she says the cat superhero’s name. “But Ladybug’s just so amazing and – and just – aaaaah, I can’t even! A real live superhero! I think she’s totally my gay thing.”
“But what if she’s not really cut out to be a superhero even though everyone thinks she is?” Marinette argues.
“What are you talking about, girl?” Alya squints at Marinette, leans in close, then snaps her fingers. “Oh, wait. I know what this is about!”
Marinette gulps. Does Alya know? How can she know?
“You’re scared!” Alya nudges Marinette. “But don’t be! I just know that Ladybug is a true superheroine! She’s going to protect us all! I believe in her. And I believe in Reine Nuit.”
If Marinette needed any more proof that she’s made the right choice, this is it.
“Please, Nathalie!” pleads a familiar voice as Marinette and Alya draw level with the school gates. To Marinette’s surprise, Adrien is being cornered by a woman with a dark pantsuit and dark hair pulled back in a tight bun, along with a gorilla-like man who could rival Marinette’s father in size.
“Wow, what’s going on with Adrien?” Alya says.
“You had your fun yesterday,” the woman says calmly. “Your father is furious that you disobeyed him. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“I just want to go to school like a normal kid! Is that too much to ask for?”
The woman sighs. “According to your father, yes. Come on, Adrien.”
Adrien’s dejected face is such a stark contrast to his wide-eyed, innocent hope from yesterday that something hot settles in Marinette’s belly. Before she knows what she’s doing, she’s storming over and planting herself in front of Adrien, hands on her hips, glaring at the woman and the thickset man.
“Listen here!” Marinette declares. “Adrien deserves to go to school just as much as anybody else! And if that makes his father mad then too bad!” She grabs Adrien’s wrist. “Come on, Adrien. You’re going to class and no one’s going to stop you.”
Adrien offers no resistance as Marinette tugs him inside the school, Alya rushing to catch up. Undoubtedly, the only reason that the woman and thickset man don’t come after them is due to the utter shock plastered across their faces, but Marinette still wants to make sure that they’re well within the school grounds so as not to tempt the two. Once they’re in the courtyard, she lets go of Adrien and jumps away.
“Sorry if I was out of line!” she says. Adrien just stares at her with an open mouth. “But it’s not fair that you shouldn’t be allowed to go to school just because you’re famous!”
“Oh – uh – no, apologise – don’t apologise!” Adrien’s cheeks pinken and he scratches the back of his head. “Actually…that’s the first time someone’s stood up for me. Thanks, Marinette. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Marinette beams at him. Next to her, Alya is smirking at Adrien, but Marinette can’t possibly begin to figure out why.
“Once a monster, always a monster!” Chloé’s annoying voice declares from the other side of the courtyard. Marinette turns just in time to see Ivan storming off. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”
Marinette and Alya exchange furious looks. Before they can confront Chloé, however, Adrien gets in first.
“Chloé!” He storms over, fists clenched, but Chloé’s whole demeanour changes and she immediately latches on to him like an octopus.
“Adrikins!” she squeals. Their other classmates don’t exactly look all that impressed with Adrien, but their faces shift when he detaches himself from Chloé and steps away.
“That was totally uncool,” he says, crossing his arms. “You should be nicer to people, Chloé.”
“Pfft,” Chloé scoffs. “We don’t need to be nice to these peasants. You need to learn how to command respect!” Her face falls when Adrien turns and storms off. “Wait! Adrikins!”
“I thought he was her bestie,” Alix comments as Marinette and Alya draw level with them.
“Only because she was never mean around him,” Marinette says. “I talked to him yesterday. He’s actually really nice once you get to know him.”
“Huh,” Juleka says. “Who would’ve thought?”
“Maybe I should be his friend,” Nino says. “If he’s gonna sit near Chloé, I reckon he’ll need me to keep him sane.”
Marinette grins at Alya. “That’s a great idea, Nino. You guys should get to class. I’m going to go and find Ivan.”
With a little searching, Marinette manages to track down Ivan in the locker room, listening to music. After saving him yesterday and realising that his akuma had been a teasing note from Kim about his feelings for Mylène, Marinette had realised that he just needed a little push to confess to her, and she intends to give that push now and prevent him from giving in to negative emotions and being akumatised again.
“I’m no good with words, though,” Ivan mumbles.
“Who needs words?” Marinette says. “You could draw her a picture, send her flowers…”
“I could…write her a song?” Ivan says. Marinette beams.
“That’s a great idea! What girl wouldn’t want a love song written especially for her? Go for it, Ivan, and stay positive!”
.
“Hey, Alya, wouldn’t you want to be a superhero and go out and fight monsters and villains?” Marinette says when she and Alya have taken their seats in class. Her heart deflates at Alya’s response.
“Eh, not really. I’m more of a Lois Lane than a Clark Kent, you know? Why?”
“Oh…no reason.” Marinette stares down at her purse. Who else can she give the earrings to? She was so sure that Alya would be the right choice!
“You can’t ignore me forever, Adrikins,” Chloé sings. In front of her, Adrien doesn’t react. “Don’t worry, you’ll come crawling back to me soon enough when you realise that the riff-raff here aren’t worth it.”
“Shut up, Chloé,” Adrien growls.
“Hmm…” Marinette once again looks at her purse. If Alya doesn’t want to be a superhero, well, Adrien might be a great second choice. But how to get the earrings into his bag? Before she can figure it out, however, Stoneheart comes crashing into the classroom and grabs Mylène and Chloé amidst the screams of the other students.
“Gotta go! Need a close-up!” Alya bolts out of the classroom like her pants are on fire. Marinette dives under the table and starts to shimmy towards Adrien’s bag so that she can hide the earrings inside, but she’s thwarted when he whoops and jumps to his feet.
“Come on, Nino!” Adrien exclaims, his eyes wide and glittering. “We should go after him!”
“Uh…are you crazy, dude?” Nino says.
“Following him – seeing Ladybug and Reine Nuit – I’ve never felt so alive! I nearly got crushed to death yesterday!”
“That’s…not a good thing…?”
“Whatever! I’m following Stoneheart!”
“Wait!” Marinette cries. “Come back! You need –”
Adrien’s gone before she can even finish her sentence. With a groan, Marinette takes off after him, not quite managing to keep up as he runs through the streets after Stoneheart but managing to keep him in sight. When she rounds the corner, Marinette instinctively takes in the situation: multiple stone monsters, one of which has Reine Nuit clutched tightly in its fist, while she screams curses at it that have Marinette wincing.
“Hey! Let her go!” Adrien jumps onto the monster from on top of a car and kicks its fist. Although he doesn’t manage to hurt it, his kick makes it reflexively let go of Reine Nuit, who falls to the road with a groan and bounds back to her feet. But she’s not quick enough to save Adrien from being snatched up by the stone monster, which then heads after Stoneheart with Adrien squirming and shouting in its grip.
“Adrien!” Marinette shrieks. Reine Nuit barely spares her a glance.
“Get to safety!” the superhero orders her, leaping off after the stone beings. “Ladybug, where are you?”
Marinette’s frozen to the spot. Reine Nuit is alone – Adrien’s in danger – there are three innocent people being held captive – her fault, her fault, her fault –
“Gah!” Marinette fumbles for the box in her purse and inserts the earrings as quickly as she can. Tikki once again appears in a swirl of red light, beaming. “I need Ladybug!”
“I knew you’d come around!” Tikki says. Marinette sighs.
“I’m still not sure I’m up for this, but Adrien’s in danger. I can’t sit back and do nothing. Tikki, spots on!”
.
“Finally!” Reine Nuit could cry tears of joy when a familiar red figure lands on the monster that’s got Adrien in its grip.
“Reine Nuit, your staff!” Ladybug calls. Reine Nuit immediately springs to join Ladybug, using her staff to pry open the monster’s fist while Ladybug yanks Adrien out. Then they’re off, jumping through the streets in the direction of the Eiffel Tower, Reine Nuit using her baton as aid while Ladybug swings with her yo-yo, Adrien in her arms.
“Wow! I got rescued by Ladybug!” Adrien pulls out his phone and starts recording the instant Ladybug sets him down on the ground.
“Damn, this kid has no survival instincts whatsoever,” Reine Nuit comments. Ladybug snorts.
“Stay safe,” she says to Adrien. “Now we need to rescue the other two and take down the source.”
“Do we have to rescue Chloé?” Reine Nuit complains. To her surprise, Ladybug giggles.
“Afraid so, kitty cat,” she says. “We have to save everyone, even the civilians who don’t deserve it.”
“You hate Chloé too?” Reine Nuit high-fives Ladybug. “Awesome!”
“Uh,” says Adrien, “as much as I’m angry at Chloé, I do still care about her.”
“Fine, fine, we’ll save her,” Reine Nuit says. “But only ‘cause you asked so nicely. Let’s go, Ladybug!”
They arrive at the base of the Eiffel Tower near André Bourgeois and the police just as Stoneheart hurls Chloé at the ground. Although it pains her to do so, Ladybug swings in and snatches Chloé out of the air before she can become a yellow stain on the stone ground.
“I didn’t promise!” Chloé wails. Ladybug blinks.
“Huh?”
Now that Chloé’s out of the way and safely in her father’s arms, any concern on the police’s part seems to vanish; Officer Roger orders them to attack despite Stoneheart still having another captive.
“I have a new plan, unlike you!” Roger says when Ladybug protests. “Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You’ve already failed once!”
Ladybug deflates and looks down. “…He’s right, you know. If I’d captured Stoneheart’s akuma the first time around, none of this would have happened! I knew I wasn’t the right one for this job…”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Reine Nuit storms over to Roger and jabs a finger at him. “If it wasn’t for Ladybug, Chloé would’ve splattered just then! And if it wasn’t for Ladybug, Stoneheart wouldn’t have been defeated the first time around! Where were you guys? Oh, that’s right, cowering while we took care of it and I nearly got my spine broken!”
“Reine Nuit!” Ladybug dashes to pull Reine Nuit away from Roger, whose eye is twitching.
“You know I’m right!” Reine Nuit says. “Like you haven’t ever made a mistake before!”
“Hey!” Ladybug grabs Reine Nuit by the shoulders. “I appreciate the support. Really, I do! But maybe we should focus on the akuma rather than antagonising the police?”
Reine Nuit huffs and crosses her arms. “Fine. Only for you.”
“People of Paris, listen carefully!” announces a deep voice. Ladybug and Reine Nuit whirl around to find a swarm of purple butterflies hovering above a prone Stoneheart, in the shape of a face. Reine Nuit is keenly aware of Adrien skidding to a stop behind them, and she notices him raise his phone at the akuma swam. “I am Hawkmoth.”
“Hawkmoth?” Ladybug and Reine Nuit repeat together. Reine Nuit gasps. This must be the supervillain behind turning Ivan into Stoneheart! Oooh, now she knows who the true mastermind is! Her final archnemesis!
“Ladybug, Reine Nuit, give me the ladybug earrings and the cat ring now,” Hawkmoth says. “You’ve done enough damage to these innocent people!”
“Nice try, Hawkmoth, but we know who the bad guy is,” Ladybug drawls, clapping slowly as she approaches the akuma cloud. “Let's not reverse the roles here. Without you, none of these innocent victims would be transformed into villains. Hawkmoth, no matter how long it takes, we will find you, and you will hand us your Miraculous!”
With a cry, Ladybug throws her yo-yo at the cloud again and again, capturing akuma after akuma until the Hawkmoth face screams and explodes into purple butterflies. There’s not another sound anywhere; everyone is dead silent, staring at Ladybug as she lands on the Eiffel Tower and turns to face the helicopters in the air and people on the ground.
“Let me make this promise to you,” she announces. “No matter who wants to harm you, Ladybug and Reine Nuit will do everything in our power to keep you safe!” She opens her yo-yo and a cloud of pure white butterflies stream out, enveloping the Eiffel Tower before dissipating. All Reine Nuit can do is watch, her mouth wide open, her stomach twisting, her heart pounding, because this is so far from the timid Ladybug from yesterday and…wow. She’s always had a thing for strong girls who take no shit.
“I think I love her,” Reine Nuit murmurs.
“I think I’d love her if Marinette didn’t come along first,” Adrien adds, looking just as shocked as Reine Nuit feels.
All of a sudden, Stoneheart jumps to his feet. Reine Nuit jolts into action, leaping up to join Ladybug on the Eiffel Tower as Mylène screams for help, but Stoneheart just growls, “You’ll never take Mylène from me!” and starts climbing further up the Tower. Crashing sounds alert Reine Nuit and Ladybug to the fact that the other stone monsters are also climbing the Tower.
“We’re surrounded!” Reine Nuit announces. Her stomach churns at the sight of the monsters climbing on all sides, keeping her and her partner trapped where they are. “What do we do, Ladybug? If we attack him, he just grows bigger.”
“But we do know where his akuma is,” Ladybug points out.
“Yeah, in the fist with Mylène. He’s never gonna let her go.”
Ladybug frowns up at Stoneheart, then her face clears. “That’s it! If Stoneheart’s in love with Mylène, then we don’t separate them! We bring them closer together!”
“Uh…okay?” Reine Nuit says. “I mean, I don’t get it, but you sound like you know what you’re doing. I’ll just ruin whatever you tell me to ruin.” God, it’s only been a day and she’d follow this girl anywhere, and she proves this by bounding up the Tower with a swinging Ladybug to where Stoneheart and Mylène are.
Surrounded by stone monsters, with Stoneheart not letting Mylène or the akuma go any time soon and Reine Nuit getting slapped around from monster to monster like a game of volleyball, Ladybug finally ends up summoning her Lucky Charm.
“A parachute?” she exclaims. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Hurry up and figure it out!” Reine Nuit calls as another monster slams her into the cool metal of the Tower. “Owww…I’m gonna feel this in the morning…”
“His hand! Get ready!”
Reine Nuit rolls to dodge the next attack, then looks up in time to see Ladybug manipulate Stoneheart into kissing Mylène with her yo-yo like a puppeteer. In shock, Stoneheart drops Mylène, who screams and clings to his gigantic pinky finger, while Reine Nuit flings herself off the Tower to bat the little purple wad of paper up at Ladybug before using her baton to anchor herself against the Tower.
“Woo!” she cheers. “Forget drugs, this is the best rush I’ll ever need!” Maybe she should become an anti-drugs spokesperson on the side. Gotta use her powers for good, right?
However, this presents another problem: as soon as Ladybug frees the akuma, Stoneheart turns back into Ivan and both he and Mylène go plummeting towards the ground. At Ladybug’s order to save Ivan, Reine Nuit says, “Cataclysm!” and black sparks of power rush to her ring, fizzing, making her hand tingle with the same cold power as when she transforms from Alya into Reine Nuit. She uses her baton as a spring to leap up towards Ivan, slamming her hand against the Tower and gasping when the metal under her palm immediately rusts and ages.
Whoa. This is so cool.
A long shard of corroded metal splits and falls away to jut out into the air, giving Reine Nuit the perfect leverage to swing out and grab Ivan by the back of the shirt before he falls past her. A moment later, Ladybug’s yo-yo zips past her and back up to where they just were.
“Gotcha!” she hears Ladybug cry. Wow. She was totally right about Ladybug being so awesome. Okay, so she’s Reine Nuit and she’s a superhero, but – but Ladybug is Ladybug! Reine Nuit keeps hanging with Ivan, unsure of how exactly to get down, until Ladybug calls, “Miraculous Ladybug!” and a swarm of red and black ladybugs swirl around the Tower, righting everything that’s been wronged. One of these wrongs includes depositing Reine Nuit and Ivan on the ground and restoring Reine Nuit’s baton to its usual place at the small of her back, along with draining away all the aches and pains she’s accumulated over the course of the battle.
“Whoa,” an awestruck Adrien says from nearby, trying to get as much of the healing swarm on camera as he can. “Are you guys seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Yeah!” Ladybug gasps. “It’s beautiful! And amazing! It’s – it’s miraculous!”
.
Although Marinette’s heart is pounding as she sits down in her usual seat with Alya rather than at the front, she can’t deny that it’s totally worth it to see the look of sheer apoplectic rage on Chloé’s face when she tells the blonde to get lost because she sure as hell isn’t moving and “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing”. Alya grins at her.
“Good job,” Alya says, fist-bumping her. Adrien enters the classroom at that moment, and his face lights up when he sees that Marinette and Alya are sitting behind him and Nino.
“You guys missed the best action!” he says, pulling his phone out. “I was there! So close to the action that I actually got grabbed trying to help Reine Nuit!”
“Dude,” Nino gasps. “Really?”
“Yeah!” Adrien’s grin widens. “But Ladybug saved me! Look!” He plays them the footage of the battle at the Eiffel Tower, and Marinette’s a little astounded at how clear the video is. Then again, it is a very good quality phone that Adrien has.
“I bet your father was happy that you went running after an akuma,” Alya smirks.
“Oh, he was furious,” Adrien says cheerfully. “But it was such an adrenaline rush! After years of being cooped up in my own house, it was like I was alive for the first time! Man, it would’ve been so cool to be a hero.” He pouts at his phone and says, “Guess I’ll have to settle for being Lois Lane. But I still don’t know what to even do with these videos.”
“Why not post them online?” Alya says. “People would kill to see that kind of footage.”
“True,” Adrien says. “Now I just need a catchy YouTube name.”
“And I can edit the videos for you if you need,” Nino says. “I love filmmaking, man.”
“Sweet!” Adrien high-fives Nino. “This is gonna be awesome!”
23 notes · View notes
erintoknow · 5 years
Text
“Later, you can hate me all you want”
look, i had a lot of fun writing this character dynamic, okay. i wanted to do it again
Fallen Hero: Rebirth Fanfic; early Sidestep Era, MC and Anathema
----
Whoops. The metal fist hits you in the chest dead-on. You can’t stop yourself from cursing as you fall backwards, lines of white pain lighting up and down your front. An extending arm…? No fair. Your hands flail the air for purchase and then your head hits something harder than it is.
.
..
...
“Sidestep?”
“Hey! Sidestep,” There’s a loud clapping sound. Right in front of you? “Now’s not the time for a nap!”
Crap. Your eyes flutter open, clear blue sky over you. The ground shudders and in the distance there’s the screech of metal crumpling. You groan and raise a shaking hand to check your head. Crap, it feels like you got punched in the chest. Wait.
A hand sticking out of a blue skin-tight sleeve reaches down and helps you sit up. You wince as your vision clears. “Themmy?”
“Oh thank God.” She holds up a pair of fingers, “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Four.” You say reflexively then wince. “Crap. No? Two? I meant two.” You stretch out with your mind to get a sense of what’s going on. But everything’s off. Wobbly.
Anathema kneels down next to you, supporting your back with one hand. “Shit. I think you might have a concussion.”
A concussion…? That sounds bad. Is that why everything’s so fuzzy? In the background there’s metallic bong of ringing metal and someone yells but you can’t make it out.
“Look, I gotta check your head, your eyes.” Anathema turns your head to look at hers, her face is pale. You’ve never really looked her in the face long enough before to realize all the freckles she has. That’s weird. “That means we have to take the mask off, okay? I’m sorry, I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“Wha?” You try to bat her hand away and miss. A heartbeat pounds in your ear but it’s like it’s a million miles away in someone else’s chest. “The mask’s gotta stay…” You manage to get out. No one can know. It’s too dangerous. Why is it dangerous? It’s on the tip of your tongue.
“Look, I’m sorry sis, later, you can hate me all you want, okay?”
What?
Anathema’s hands reach around to the back of your head, finding the edges where you’ve attached your full-face mask into your skinsuit. And then there’s a flash of dark and the world returns with strands of your hair falling over your eyes.
Anathema holds her breath, inflating her cheeks as she runs a hand over the back of you head, feeling for… something? Satisfied with whatever she finds… or doesn’t find, she adjusts her position and turns your face towards hers. The way Anathema stares into your eyes makes you uncomfortable. You have a flash of someone else staring at you like that. Examining. Then it’s gone. Just Anathema. “Hah,” you giggle, still woozy. “You look like a chipmunk.”
“Well, I see your sense of humor is unharmed.” Anathema wears a grim smile. “Pupils look normal, and no bleeding at least. That’s good. Head wounds are always a mess.” She pulls back from you and examines your mask, it looks so strange and small just sitting there in her hand. “You didn’t skimp out on the mask, that’s good. A lot of newbies do.” She hands the thing back to you. “Really conked your head hard there. Gave me a heart attack... I suppose there’s no chance of making you see a doctor after this?”
You shudder, start to shake your head but that just makes you hurt even more. “N-nope.” The ground shakes again and you grab Anathema’s shoulder to steady yourself. “What’s…?”
“After you got KO’d Steel covered me while I got you out of there.” Anathema shades her eyes, looking at something to the right. A building? Factory, you remember. Overgrown. Not used in years. The wall closest to you both has collapsed. Seemingly punched in, a haze of smoke drifting into the sky above. The two of you are in an empty parking lot. The phrase ‘old city’ floats to the top of your mind.
You look down at your mask, rubbing the fabric with your fingers. You know you should put it back on but it’s hard to get your thoughts in order. Start with something simple: “Where’s, uh, where’s Charge?”
Anathema raises an eyebrow at you, “You get one guess as to what she did the moment she saw you go down.”
You try to think back to what was just happening. Crap. Your head is killing you. Your chest too. You groan, hugging yourself as you hunch over, trying to will the pain to stop. Anathema frowns at that, “How bad does it hurt? Watch your posture, you might have bruised a rib.”
You hiss air through your teeth, willing yourself to get it under control. Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up. “Not like that,” you struggle to piece together the right words. “Like–” you put a hand over your breast and draw a line up to your armpit then down your side.
It takes Anathema a moment, then dawning understands. She covers her mouth, but her amusement is still plain to see in her eyes. “You got punched in the boob.”
Heat flashes across your face. “Don’t make fun of me.”
Anathema nods, composing her face into a solemn expression. “Congratulations on passing this important milestone in your transition, my apprentice.”
You take a weak swing at her, which she easily dodges. “Shut up.”
Anathema cackles. “Better get used to it! Hrm…” She leans in and peers at your chest.
You frown, and angle away. “…Do you mind?”
“Are you bra’ing it up yet?” she asks.
You furrow your brow, “Am I what?”
“Are you wearing a bra yet, brah?” 
You rub your temples, struggling to put your thoughts together. You really don’t have it in you right now to deal with Anathema’s puns. You hurt enough already, thank you. “Thats... personal?” You croak, “I mean… the skinsuit is supposed to be good for that, right?”
“Well, it’s not like you’re in costume twenty-four seven, right?” Anathema asks, incredulous.
You stare very intently at the weeds poking through the broken asphalt. “I kind of just keep the suit on under everything.” You admit. You close your eyes. Wow does everything ache.
Anathema’s silent long enough that you turn to look at her. She has this expression on her face like she’s thinking through a complex math problem. Finally, she shrugs and throws her arms up in the air. “Yeah, okay, I guess. Live your life ready to throw down at anytime. Healthy.” She frowns, looking at you. You wish she wouldn’t. “Still, hrm….” Anathema makes a ‘tsk’ sound as she taps her chin, “you just started wearing those inserts recently right?”
You open your mouth speechless, and Anathema wags a finger at you. “Yeah, I got your number, girlfriend.” She pauses and the two of you wince as the ground shakes again. “Anyway, my whole point was going to be: I get why you want it Starstruck, but you might do better just getting a padded sports bra or something? It’ll hurt less on the next punch. Trust me on this one.”
A heavy crash from the factory grabs both of your attentions, and you can barely hear Ortega shouting orders at Steel. You close your eyes, trying to get a sense of what’s going on. All you really succeed at is making your headache worse. You can almost pick out Steel and the eight-armed freak in there. What was his name…? You can’t remember. Try to sense anything more and it slips away, like a handhold you can’t get a good grip on or a cymbal that keeps ringing. “We should get in there,” you say.
You struggle to stand up only to have Anathema pull you back down. “I don’t think so, hotshot. It takes longer than a couple minutes to get over a concussion. Sorry, but the best way for you to help is by sitting the rest of this one out.”
You wince, and after a moment’s hazy thinking try a different tactic. “Anathema, you could still help at least.”
“I am helping. Right now in fact,” Anathema gives you a knowing look, “by making sure certain reckless girls don’t further injure themselves. Don’t think I don’t know the playbook, Ms. Starstruck.”
You want to fire back some cutting retort but the words don’t come. It bothers you to have Anathema here, mothering you when she could be helping finish the fight. When she could keep someone more worthwhile from getting hurt.
The conversation lapses into silence. Or at least the silence of having a three-person super fight in the background. Anathema catches you staring at your mask in your hands, and winces. “Again, I’m real sorry about that. I had to make sure you weren’t a scrambled egg under there.”
You bite your lip. “I don’t hate you,” you say. And to your surprise it’s not even a lie. 
Anathema visibly relaxes, like she’s been holding her breath this whole conversation.
“Just… don’t ever do it again, okay?” You stare her down, willing yourself to look as serious as you possibly can with a concussion. “I don’t care if I have a rebar pole through my lungs, this–” You gesture at your skinsuit, “–this doesn’t come off. Ever.”
“Gee…” Anathema purses her lips and leans back, “Yeah, that’s a bad deal, I’m gonna have to pass.”
“I– I’m serious!”
“So am I. Don’t even try this with Charge, by the way. Death before dishonor?” Anathema shakes her head. “You’ll just piss her off.”
You can feel the frustration welling up through the brain haze. They don’t get it. They can’t. “Listen you don’t understand, I can’t– because I– I’m not–”
An explosion erupts from around the corner of the factory, and you both can see parts of the wall erupt outwards, embedding themselves into nearby buildings. A, now decidedly no-armed, man staggers backward into the street and topples to the ground. You can hear Ortega whooping in victory from inside.
Anathema stands up and dusts herself off before she turns to look down at you with a sad smile. “Look I really do get it. Honest. But you can’t ask your friends to literally stand around and let you die.” She offers you a hand up. “Guess you’ll just have to be the world champion at dodging.”
You return her smile with a brittle one of her own. Can something like you really have friends? You reach up for her hand and let her pull you to your feet. “I guess so.”
“Now put your mask back on, Starstruck, or Charge will find out you have terrible hat-hair.”
47 notes · View notes
chickenfetus · 6 years
Note
all moongan
thank you for asking falen tbh i love u sm and i love doing these 
omg is this ask for this ask meme i literally almost posted this along with the wrong ask fml
1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?
more cereal than mik because.. i dont eat cereal with milk……… i love the crunch
2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?
as someone who lives in a tropical country is that what its called idk we dont have seasons and it never gets lower than 25 degrees so yes that would be ideal
3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?
hrmmmmm… i just remember the page number?? or try to lmao if i dont remember i just skim through the pages and try to recognise where i left off
4: how do you take your coffee/tea?
with at least 2 packets of sugar tbh…. i dont drink coffee
5: are you self-conscious of your smile?
omg story time i went 2 get my braces removed and the dentist wanted to take pics so he was like “smile with your teeth!” and i was like ok! but then he kept saying i wasnt doing it right lmao… guess whos never smiled b4… (me) so he told me 2 practice my smile lol i didnt answer the qn but ya,,, i am probably
6: do you keep plants?
i used 2 be very against plants… now theyre okay i guess i dont rly keep any
7: do you name your plants?
refer 2 6
8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?
art??? i havent drawn in awhile
9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?
no LOL
10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?
on my side!!!! i cant sleep on my back bc i gotta hug smth.. and my stomach is out of the qn
11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?
🅱️… and .. same brainwaves…. poor mans ____…. this is all from the shady hq im so sorry my other pals
12: what’s your favorite planet?
the moon for no real reason
13: what’s something that made you smile today?
hMMm, watching astro and mx perform??? and just being shady with bell lmao
14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?
this… question,,,..so im thinking of a bright place with white walls and translucent curtains so the light call fill the (living) room perfectly and everythings really ??? sunny and shit idk its warm… the floor’s made of (fake?) wood and theres a small kitchen bc i cant cook and idk if my friend would be able to lol.. theres 2 bed rooms both are painfully small but it works.. theres one other room with a closet for clothes… the bathroom is just a shower, sink and toilet… theres no washing machine rip and ?? thats about it poor mens life
i watchd the like we used mv again and i realized ...... that is literally where i got this imagery from thanks the rose i love a relatable band
15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!
heres a fact (?) from me first: it rains diamonds on one planet ?? mecury maybe?? mars??? whomst.. this isnt even a fact its ,me trying to recall shit
ok real fact: There are thousands of other planets out there. sorry lads this website doesnt wanna have fun
16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?
is spaghetti bolognese a pasta dish
17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?
im chill with my current hair colour??? bc its brown sometimes idk shitty hair
18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.
i asked my irl friends (group name: panic support group) and this is what they said
K: everything
E: when u were one hour late (i dont remember this happening but i do know im always late but never for an hour past me wyd)
19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?
goDD i dont but i sure want to
20: what’s your favorite eye color?
this is strange but every eye colour is my favourite although ppl with two or more colours in their eyes are so cool
21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.
its just my school bag lmao i got it 4 years ago and i take it everywhere even if the event is “small” and they ask us to bring “smaller bags” ill bring my big ass school bag anyway it looks like this (i dont have to but linking stuff is so fun)
22: are you a morning person?
technically.???its the holidays but i still manage to get up before 10 (most of the time) and … even if i have like 5 hours of sleep i manage to feel awake really easily????
23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?
tf i just use my phone lmao this is what ive been doing for like a month now… i could watch every vlive i havent watched yet, i could make video compilations i could practice my art but… even though im out of school im still procrastinating.. legends only
24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?
mmmm falens the closest to that
25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?
my classroom
26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?
white converse??  i have 2 get new ones every like 2 years since theyre also my school shoes and break easily….. other than those i have my blueblack converse too (i dont wear them as much so theyre still in one piece)
27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?
i dont eat bubblegum bc im always afraid ill swallow it and die and im p sure its illegal here
28: sunrise or sunset?
sunset but i dont look outside enough for either
29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?
hm……… with jen its when she sends me asks on anon despite it being super obvious like im not a Fan when my friends send me asks on anon bc sometimes i cant tell and i get a sense of false hope but w/ jen its okay but i know its her
with bell its when they reply to my keyboard smashes with their own keyboard smashes lmao and when they just??//?? say smth cute abt their faves (lately its been sanha thank u sh)
30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?
ya lmao when i have 2 sleep alone and its completely dark i have half a mind 2 believe some random supernatural being is out for me
31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.
hmM. socks are great i always wear them bc i wear shoes almost every time i go outside… i dont have any weird socks bc im Boring but i have 3 pkmn songs and 1 gudetama socks/.. bUT I DID buy my friend those socks with individual toe pockets… it was so funny when my other friend saw it she choked on her drink and almost spat it out. we laughed so hard we hit our heads against each other i love friendship.. i have 2 wear white socks for sch bc… aesthetic? god if i know lmao….. i only ever wear ankle socks bc….. socks any higher than that? cancelled.
32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.
listen ive never stayed up later than like 1am ok maybe 2am??? but i was working on like a project that was due the next day for school with my groupmates (friends) so does that count lmao
33: what’s your fave pastry?
bread………. sugar donuts…….. i am Aware that thats not how u spell it but wtv
34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?
why does this ask so many qns in 1 qn……. i had a cat?? it had pink stripes and it didnt have a name bc i dont name my stuff… even my pokemon.. and yeah i still have it except its in a big dusty bag where all my other toys are kept
35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?
i kinda have to use stationary for school so ya.. p often is correct… pretty pens??? i dont rly see the point whoopS!!! in exams u can only use black or blue so
36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?
im listening 2 day6 so like day6
37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?
my room isnt even my room i just go there to sleep .. the place im always at is like a study area except its open?? so everyone can see me lol and . its not messy?? if u look at it from far but the shit on the desk and shelves are so fucking messy god i need to pack those
38: tell us about your pet peeves!
aLRIGHT LADS welcome 2 megans ted talk
(skip this if ur not fond of drama)
so something (refer to the song he said suits myday) happened with jae recently and ive seen fans trying to defend him by @ing him and saying that they love him which is fine - great even! but what i dont approve is how everyone’s basically forgotten about the whole matter because they had concerts so instead of @-ing him and asking him to explain himself, they tell him what a great concert it was which is also great bc their concerts are honestly amazing. basically my pet peeve is when ppl dismiss the problematic action of some people just bc they like them.
another thing is that there were some fans who started guilting others for wanting to drop day6 completely because of what jae did and in my opinion i think it is totally cool to want to drop a group if they did smth bad like??? its ur life???? u can choose who you want to like. what is not cool is pulling out all the good things the person has ever done in their entire life and try to remind others about the positive sides of the person. yes. they’re an encouraging person, etc. but that does not cancel out the bad things they’ve done until they explain/apologise. what is infuriating is just the manner some people took it?? they literally went ahead and tweeted shit like “would your parents drop you if you did smth wrong?” and “you’re seriously gonna drop someone whos been nothing been nice because of one incident?” yes. people will and you dont have any fucking right to stop them? so dont go pulling out receipts.
another thing. its also okay to want to stan the whole group even if someone has done smth problematic. like? to me youre cool if youre able to see and acknowledge the bad shit someone has done and still stand by their side while educating them at the same time its nice to have faith in your idols. however, i wont say much when your idols dont respond and/or respond in a way that shows absolutely no remorse. its cool if you want to support them too, despite that.
tldr; dont fucking excuse someone’s behaviour/action just because youre so far up their fucking ass. dont pull out shit from before either, be it good or bad. and lastly, its okay to want to drop/continue supporting them, its your life.
i just wanted to talk about this tbh,, it was nice to see a few mydays trying to urge jae to explain the whole situation but seeing as he still hasnt and couldve it really irks me :-/
okay update its been a day and i havent really thought about this but im kinda conflicted now bc jae still hasnt talked about the song and im probably just making a big deal out of smth that will never happen again but it really doesnt sit right with me knowing that jae recommended that song to his fans and said it suited mydays?? bc looking at the lyrics... i SURE hope not... idk i have neither forgiven or forgotten but he’s okay now.? i cant stay mad at someone for that long anyway ill never forgive him 4 it though lmao petty ppl only
another thing... jae’s still an amazing person to me with all the encouraging words he says to mydays but this one incident is just soOOOOO hrm and i did go off tangent with the question as usual lol
39: what color do you wear the most?
i wear a lot of colours tbh??? but bc its rly hot out ive just been wearing the same shirt every time i leave the house and its black so
40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?
i dont wear jewelry rip
41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?
challenger deep
42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!
hm,, ive only ever visited this coffee shop like more than once bc the girl i used 2 like showed it to me b4 like 2 years ago and it was nice i liked their mocha frappe and its cozy i guess??? sometimes i go there with friends to study/just eat but i havent gone in awhile.., its two stories and it has an open air sitting area too i prefer sitting inside bc the sun is a big no thanks.. the ceiling is kind of like?? going downward?? like the kind iin attics???? idk man it was nice
43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?
u cant see shit here sorry
44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?
cant relate
45: do you trust your instincts a lot?
yea?? sometimes i just gotta bc my brain wont shut the fuck up
46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.
suddenly all of the puns i know have left my mind thanks @ me
47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?
vegetables
48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?
the dark and whats basically in it???? like ghosts zombies and shit u kno the scary shit
49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?
i like buying albums?? theres a CD in those so it counts lmao i bought sunrise by day6
50: what’s an odd thing you collect?
boxes??? like containers????
51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?
boxy and letting go by day6
52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?
YOU KNOW I HAD TO DO IT TO THEM and oh worm
53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?
me: rocky.. ?????? from astro.. /?? no ive never heard of any of those and i saw the word horror so u wont hear abt those from me any time soon
54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?
i literally havent been outside for 2 days
55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?
be petty aka yesterday i changed my twitter icon from jae 2 brian bc jae’s being a child rn so hes out
56: what are some things you find endearing in people?
when they ramble abt smth they like thanksk buds
57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?
is this the song from p!atd i have it in my playlist lmao oh i fucing hate this song i always skip it im not listening
58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?
idk what either of those are but bell and boxy
59: what’s your favorite myth?
idk any
60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?
anything that eunwoo has ever written
61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?
ive given eggs for karissa’s birthday b4 and i got a kermit its not stupid tho its just the closest thign i could think of
62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?
i drink water juice everyday every minute every hour
63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?
my books are all in shelves lads i just  heard the fucking keys rattle im not doing this shit im logging off night
ok day 3 and im back like i said previously my books are on shelves i tried rearranging them by series b4 but my housekeeper rearrnaged them randomly the next day so i gave up
i make playlists for songs that i like, really like (i still skip them sometimes rip) and songs that my friend recommends me i have a seperate playlist for the songs i like in japanese 2
64: what color is the sky where you are right now?
light blue?? like its actually p white bc its cloudy
65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?
m not rly
66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?
just. leaves maybe??
67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?
Horror Movie
68: what’s winter like where you live?
oh winter is fucking fantastic it never gets colder than 25 degrees celsius here and if it does rain it lasts for like 10 minutes
69: what are your favorite board games?
i used to rly like snake and ladders and monopoly :-o
70: have you ever used a ouija board?
im not ready for that kinda death
71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?
english breakfast or earl gray??? those r like the standard right
72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?
ya but i never do bc i either forget to or am just 2 lazy
73: what are some of your worst habits?
being lazy + procrastinating :-D
74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.
okie :-o ..
they’re great ok ive talked abt them like 10 times in the span of 2 months but whatever folks
they’re super nice, kind and just all of the positive adjectives out there in the dictionary ...... they’ve helped me multiple times and they’re always there 2 lend me a listening ear (or in our case, eye lmao) idk??? im just super comfortable around them always and im honestly so thankful we became mutuals (and subsequently friends) last year!!!! i cant say a lot bc ill just get v repetitive but overall they’re an awesome friend and im glad we still communicate daily via twitter and sometimes our skype sessions even if they’re kinda awkward bc i never know when 2 talk bc im scared ill speak and theyll say smth and itll turn into a MESS which actually happened lmao  
im looking forward to the day our skype sessions become super smooth and easy going!!!
75: tell us about your pets!
i have none but id die for boxys cats
76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?
well yeah always tbh but its not smth i have to do but more like want to do im just 2 lazy to get around doing it
77: pink or yellow lemonade?
?? i almost said lemons arent pink but i Remembered...... yellow lemonade
78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?
i feel like this is an Attack? okay LISTEN so story time again.
on the flight back from japan i watched the alien covenant and i couldnt even get past the scene where the baby alien was gonna kill the poor guy who ended up being locked up with the infected dude as soon as i saw the blood and the alien emerge from the guy’s back i bolted lmao
so to calm myself down nd block that memory from my mind i went ahead and watched despicable me 3.. which HONESTLY im the worst critic ever but in my humble opinion.... the movie was good????????? idk i didnt watch minions the movie though i got lazy again whooopS!
anwyay i sidetracked but im neutral im not a fan but i wouldnt go out of my way to call minions annoying?? bc they really arent? i feel like its only seen that way bc of how people make posts abt how annoying minions are even tho.. they arent??
79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?
my memory hates me so every specific thing my friends have ever done for me has left my mind but .
the cutest thing? everything my friends do for me
80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?
theyre yellow and no i didnt theyve been there ever since i could remember
81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.
lava cake
82: are/were you good in school?
yeah i was good in school for like the first three years and this year i just flopped so badly lmao and its my important year too oh well my exams r over and i still dont have a backup plan in mind
83: what’s some of your favorite album art?
all of dance gavin dance’s albums have awesome art
84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?
back when i was really into 5sos i thought of getting a tally since that was their logo at that time but now no not really unless i decide to get lance’s face tattooed onto my forehead on impulse
85: do you read comics? what are your faves?
im keeping up with hq, bnha and tg manga!!!!
86: do you like concept albums? which ones?
idk what those r but sure
87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?
big hero 6
88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?
who wrote this whats up with these questions
i googled and.. not really?? they all look nice
89: are you close to your parents?
close enough to stand being in the same room as them but not close enough to want to initiate conversations
90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.
tokyo was really cool (literally) and if i ever go again id love to go with friends so we can explore more??
91: where do you plan on traveling this year?
japan was supposed to be the only plan for this year but my grandad passed away so i had to go to malaysia multiple times earlier this year ik this wasnt the qn but ive already went to the planned destination tm so
92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?
BARELY SPRINKLES A PINCH im anti cheese
93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?
um. like?? i tie the sides of my hair that cover my face back??? bc i dont like hair in my face
94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?
bell
95: what are your plans for this weekend?
hopefully something useful
96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?
i also click remind me tomorrow lmao
97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?
infp-t, capricorn, hufflepuff (same as falen nd jen yay)
98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?
uh ive never been hiking and i dont plan on it sorry body
99: list some five (or id never shut up) songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.
currently......
when you love someone - day6
like we used to - the rose
crazy sexy cool - astro
death of a strawberry - dance gavin dance
if it means a lot to you - a day to remember
idk if these actually “resonate to my soul” they just sound nice
100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?
oh worm.. i wouldnt miind either???
i know i have 2 choose but like
if i go back into the past i could be less annoying?? but the past has actually helped me be the way i am today and i think im learning to be a better person?? im definitely way better than how i was previously 5 years ago and im just grateful i was able to learn from my mistakes???
so i wouldnt go back to the past.
if its in the future i can see how ill end up and if its not good i might end up being able to change myself so i dont get my “bad end”..???? maybe or i can just see what happens in the future and i can look forward to it
itll also give me a chnace to have the most fun while i can if its not too nice
so my decision is to go to the future
thank you so much for asking falen god this got so long lmao
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lady-olive-oil · 7 years
Text
Sweet Sexy Savage: Chapter 1
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Author Note: Whoop here it is! I’m on a roll now. This chapter is very long and I am sorry [not really] There’s a lot of details in here so enjoy!
Tag list: @designrwriterchic @hoodgirl163 [just in case cause I like the direction I’m going with this and I need my girls by me!]
Prologue 
“Alright you guys. I’m going to need every superstar to come down here, dressed in their WrestleMania gear, makeup on, hair done and smiles lit. It’s time to promote the biggest event of the year.” WrestleMania is like the Super Bowl in the WWE. Jam packed, hyped and full of super fans from what I’ve seen watching at home in the past years. My name is Malaysia Ryker  and my job consists of is multiple hats. By multiple hats I mean; I am one of the photographers, and on the WWE Glam Squad, and a mother on top of it all, twins no less. Needless to say it’s a heavy load, but I don’t regret any of it. 
“I need both women’s divisions in their mania gear. I’ll have James hold the shoot for a bit so I can work on the girls.” I instructed my assistant for the day, Jennie, as I went around to the side to get each girl ready and checked on. 
There’s never a dull moment behind the scenes. Would you believe me if I said this was my first lead in a big PPV? And it happens to be for the biggest stage of them all in the wrestling world. Obviously I had to go through the motions of what to expect on the job, and learning who everyone was for my first few months, but my hard work paid off quicker than I expected.
Production is what I majored in at school, along with a minor in cosmetology, When I had the twins, I had to give up my hobby of photography. So this job was a no brainier. Which is why, I was glad I got the opportunity.
Touching up on Naomi and Sasha’s make up, they decided to mess with me like always. They were the first friends I made on the job so they are my girls, what else should I expect? 
“So Maya, any luck in the love department? We heard you and some guy from creative, named Jason, went out last week. How’d that go?” Sasha asked while checking herself out in the reflection, after I did her hair. 
“He was a nice guy but, he was too much into his looks and asked me what size bra I wore. So no.” I let out a sour chuckle and looked at Naomi’s expression, priceless as always. 
“So you mean to tell me, that fine specimen of a man was not your cup of tea? Mr. Tall dark and handsome?” Here we go with Naomi and her theatrics. Somehow she always managed to make me laugh no matter the situation. 
“Listen to yourself, almighty Glow Queen. You are married, don’t let Jon hear you or you’ll get me in trouble.” Finishing up her makeup, with a sweet chuckle escaping my full red lips, letting her go on and head to the set. 
Going back to what I said earlier, yes I am a mother. I have the most wonderful set of twins: Austin and Dakota. I had them after I graduated from Georgia Tech. I had all my friends and family there for support. Especially Joe, he was there too. At least in the beginning. Even if it meant my career was put on hold, I started a new challenge that I was willing to accept. A few months back, Stephanie McMahon herself asked me if I would come work for the company and be a part of the team. 
No way could I say no. Someone in the company knew of my work and just thought it would be a good idea. We all know who threw the wood into the fire, for me to get this job. Since the twins are of age, I decided to homeschool them and take them on the road with me. They are fast learners so why not? As for their father? He doesn’t want anything to do with them. He left once I told him I was expecting right after graduation. Jonathan and I have had our ups and downs in the past, but the bad outweighed the good, in every sense. College sweethearts, turned bitter enemies. Hell, Joe was the one who introduced us in the first place after I introduced him to galina. 
Jonathan and I followed each other around almost all of college and then it all just fell apart. I wanted a marriage and kids, he wanted to sleep around. When I found out he was cheating, it was at the last homecoming game of our college careers.
I saw him with a blonde on the football field and everything went black after that. I was in a blind rage when I poured the Gatorade cooler on them both. Needless to say, it was the best senior experience I’ve ever had. Nevertheless, I tried to make it work until I wound up pregnant. Jonathan has been a ghost since the day I told him. I’ve been trying since then to get him to be in their lives but he refuses. The twins are now nine and they understand this is our life now, my job and my past. Nothing gets by them. 
 “Auntie Trinity, mom doesn’t have time to date when she’s busy with us. I mean we are her pride and joys, look at us.” Dakota, my spunky little girl, put on the most innocent looking smile ever with her brother Austin. 
 “Yeah, no guy or girl, is good enough for our mother. She has standards.” Austin always had a smart mouth on him. The sentence alone made me gasp, and rethink my dating life. 
Was I really that bad with my dating prospects? Going back to my work so I can move on to the guys next, Sasha and Naomi both started laughing at the twins statements. Why is my dating life such a funny topic for these people?
"Alright, alright. You girls are done for the day. I’ll catch up with you all for dinner later, while the twins are with my mom.“ Mama Natalie, my dear sweet mother, was happy to retire after my dad passed. She did her time in the work force and needed to spend time with her grandkids anyway. 
The girls went their separate ways with the others and I got ready for the boys. I really wanted to do Finn’s demon paint today, but he was out still in recovery. Judging by his Instagram pictures with the wife Brenna, he was doing just fine. 
One by one, I helped the glam squad with every male and female wrestler that was participating in Wrestlemania 33, and getting them all squared away for each match in the group pictures to be set accordingly. Like always, I get distracted by my own thoughts and begin to stare into space thinking about him again. Fifth time this week, even though last week was worse. More about that in a second. The sound of my children cheering caught me off guard, drawing my attention to where they were. 
“Uncle Joe and Jojo here!” The twins always had this weird sequence thing going on, that creeped everyone out but me. At the mention of his name the old feeling of butterflies came back, like a hurricane in the south. Ever since I started my job some months back, I’ve been seeing him everywhere. 
Which is to be expected as apart of my job title as the new lead photographer. When I was just starting it was easier to avoid him more as busy as we both are. It would be a damn lie if I said I didn’t want his strong arms around me. Maya, focus! Hes coming this way! But it’s so damn hard to, I mean look at him. Broad shoulders, long jet black hair, the sleeve tattoo that graced his right arm and his body is a tower that I wanted to climb so bad. I heard a snap in face causing me to grab the hand that caused it. 
“Whoa there speedy. Don’t get to cocky now.” His voice could melt butter, on a stack of buttermilk pancakes. How was he this close to me and I didn’t even know? Looking up into his natural brown eyes, it was like I was back in high school all over again. Dropping his hand and grabbing the camera, I got into position to finish off the last of the pictures for the day. 
“Joe you of all people, should know better than to sneak up on me.” The light chuckle escaped my lips and I took shots of him, while checking him out at the same time. I wonder if he noticed. He noticed me looking at him differently, providing that very sexy smirk of his. Yep, I’m keeping the thought that popped in my head for myself. 
“What’s a joke between old friends, manamea? Come on now, don’t be like that.” Manamea, meaning sweetheart in his native language. 
That nickname stuck with me through every grade, every heartache, every triumph and amazing moment I had with him in it. He was there through almost everything, even the birth of my twins. Hence why they call him uncle Roman, and how they get along with Joelle so much. I hate that my stubbornness and his even stronger stubbornness caused us to drift.
Shaking my head with disbelief, I continued to take pictures for the promos.They weren’t due for another few weeks or so anyway but, perfection is key. I take my work very seriously around here. 
"What do you want Joseph? There’s gotta be something you need, that’s so important.“ Finishing off his pictures, taking my Nikon off the tripod, I looked at him with an amused look on my face. His smile grew with anxiousness as I gave him time to explain. "What’s it gonna be?" 
"Well, how about two old friends catch up. You know, for old times’ sake?” He gave an interesting proposition, that I couldn’t refuse but also didn’t want to seem too eager about it either. The look on my face was acknowledgeable, nodding in agreement and setting my stuff back in the cases to close down for the day. Was I really gonna just give in so easily and fawn over the guy I’ve liked since high school, giving him the satisfaction of a guaranteed yes? We’ll see. 
“Tell you what.” I leaned against the vanity mirror, keeping a close eye out on the kids who were playing on Dakota’s iPad. “Since I know nothing about creative’s plan with you and the Undertaker, if you win this match I’ll go on this friend catch up thing with you. Deal?” I held out my hand for him to shake, but instead I got a kiss on the back of it as he held it.
“Deal. And trust me manamea, I won’t lose this one.” With his final words he sent a wink in my direction before heading out with Joelle in tow. I felt weak in the knees, like a school girl on prom night. Gathering my own kids and equipment, up to head back to our hotel room.
I got a mass group text from all the girls in the women’s division on both rosters asking: what did Joe ask me? Did he just kiss your hand!? What is going on!? These girls have eyes like hawks everywhere. Quickly replying to everyone, I noticed Dakota and Austin both looking at me sideways. 
“Oh come on, not you too.” They were just as nosey as their honorary aunts and uncles. “Mama, we love Uncle Roman. Please go out with him.” “yeah! please!” What made them think this was a date? It’s just two innocent friends going out to eat and possible drinks, that’s it….maybe 
“You two, stay out of my business. Get to bed now. We all have a big day tomorrow, get.” Pointing to the direction of their on-suite room, next to mine, I crashed in my own bed. Lord this was going to be a long few weeks, and even longer months….years. From what Patricia has told me, Joe and Galina are separated. I didn’t expect that at all whatsoever. I don’t think anyone did.
Me and Joe, hanging out together like old times? It never occurred to me that it would be possible after everything that’s happened. Drifting to sleep, after my quick shower, I thought of what the “date” could be like. I guess you could say, I like strawberry daiquiris with a prime rib steak. Because, in those following weeks he won his match.
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